Disorderly Recycling: Observations at Seattle Center

We (Emily and Fiona) decided to close read the South Fountain Lawn at Seattle Center, while Cassie visited the New Haven Green. Here are our initial observations regarding the South Fountain Lawn:

1. Cement Walls

-There were low cement walls that ostensibly doubled as hillside blockers (to keep dirt and grass in a mound) and as seats for the passerby. These were interesting because they were too low to be comfortable seating especially for adults. It seemed that to serve two function the architects had to make compromises against the other purpose. The only exception was in one case where the bench was built up with a back.

We also noticed the use of Skatestoppers (circled in red in both photos) indicating that the space was not intended for skateboarders.

2. Location of Ash Trays

-Another thing that we noted immediately was the spacing and location of the ash trays—while there were three lined up [in above photo] equally distant from a green space (and visible from every angle, perhaps there was an element of shame attached as a disincentive for people to smoke?) there was one pushed up against the cement wall [see photo below], presumably for people to sit down in the less visible corner and smoke.

It did not fit with the neatly organized layout of the rest of the park (where every object was pushed into a corner or logical space) and I wondered who had moved it (maintenance or someone trying to smoke inconspicuously) and whether it was more frequently used by smokers than the other ash trays.

3. Roped Off

-We also noted that part of the grass area was roped off (meaning people entering from the Key Arena side of the lawn via the stairs had to walk around the circle to get access). We wondered why this region would be roped off when there were activities on the grass, especially considering that the stairs were a logical entering point to the region. The photo below is the view from the stairs.

We did notice that the lawn closest to Fisher Pavilion was unroped, as shown in the photo below. We attributed this to the Seeds of Compassion workshops happening in Fisher Pavilion at the time.

Now for our research question... We focused on temporary plastic recycling bags scattered across the grassy public space. These immediately caught our attention because of their odd positioning—they were not located near the cement paths where the majority of people were walking but rather INSIDE the green space at odd angles and at different distances from the sidewalk. They were located far enough into the green that a person would need to walk at least ten feet off the path and over the grass to reach one.

The holes for cans were facing the inside of the grass (except for one bag, which broke the pattern and faced outwards). We wondered “Why are these recycling receptacles placed in this manner, and what purpose do they serve?” We could use any methodological approach to explain this phenomenon, but we chose a combination of close reading the space (a la Burstein) and looking at cities (Jacobs-style) and determined that a good approach would be to observe environmental behavior as a “secret outsider” or “marginal participant,” although we got a little overexcited and became “full participants” (Ziesel).

By close reading/looking at the space we could infer that maintenance (or whoever had placed these bags on the grass) had done so for a temporary event. This was obvious for several reasons: a) the receptacles were soft plastic and not weather-resistant (and were barely grounded, they were obviously not meant to last more than a day or so); b) the grass underneath them was healthy, suggesting they hadn’t been there long enough to block the sun or rain; and c) they were scattered haphazardly across the ground as compared to the highly “ordered” or organized park, which had everything in a corner or by a tree or equally spaced out (although possibly Fiona and I were unable to determine the order of whoever had placed these receptacles). These all suggested that the recycling bins were there for an unusual event, and therefore they had been placed to cater to whoever was going to act in the grassy space.

By first observing from a set of benches above the green space and watching which people used the recycling bins, what they looked like, and where they came from (“secret outsider”) and later walking around it like the people we had been stalking and visualizing how we would use those recycling bins (“marginal participant”) and finally becoming “full participants” by hula-hooping in the event on this grassy lawn, we understood the recycling phenomenon coming from the other direction. By talking to Dizzy Hips, the hula hoopist hosting the Seeds of Compassion event, we heard that there were supposed to be thousands of children and their families on this lawn, and we could therefore infer that the receptacles were set up on the grass facing inwards to cater to the potential customers (but while we were there, only about five kids showed up).

It was interesting to approach this subject from the two different directions, especially because it was unclear why the recycling bins ruined the park’s orderly consistency and “marred” the lawn (at least in my mind). By close reading/looking we could determine there was some sort of a temporary event that demanded it, but by observing environmental behavior and participating we were able to determine what the event was and work backwards.

Observations and thoughts of the similar New Haven Green, CT.